Library Assistant

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

34 to 36 a week

evenings / weekends on shifts

How To Become a Library Assistant

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could do a Level 2 Certificate or Level 3 Diploma in Libraries, Archives and Information Services.

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could do a library, information and archive services advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply for a job as a library assistant if you have some experience of working in a library, an archive or information service, for example as a volunteer. You may need GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, including English, to apply.

Experience working in an administration, customer services or IT role would also be useful for applying directly.

For some assistant jobs, for example in industrial or commercial libraries, you may need qualifications at A level standard or higher. You may also need specialist knowledge like languages or science, depending on the job.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

administration skills
the ability to work well with others
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
customer service skills
the ability to work on your own
knowledge of English language
to be flexible and open to change
sensitivity and understanding
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

On a typical day you could:

help users find what they need, in print and online
organise IT access and solve user problems
check materials in and out and catalogue new items
shelve returned items and arrange repair of damaged materials
deal with counter, phone and email enquiries
make sure copyright licence agreements are followed
maintain databases and records
help with community events and activities like reading sessions

Working Environment

You could work at a library, at a school, at a college or at a university.

Career Path & Progression

With experience and qualifications, you could become a librarian. The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has more information.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

A knowledge of information classification systems, like the Dewey Decimal Classification, may be useful, though not essential, as training would be given.

Further information

You can find more details about working in libraries from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks